The Marcos regime is again harassing Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) campus journalist Jacob Baluyot. On January 15, Baluyot appeared before the Department of Justice (DOJ) for a preliminary investigation on charges of sedition and inciting to sedition. Baluyot is The Catalyst associate editor and Alyansa ng Kabataang Mamamahayag (AKM) PUP national chairperson.

Baluyot received the subpoena on the afternoon of January 14. He was ordered to return for the second part of the investigation on January 29.

In support of Baluyot as he faced the DOJ, The Catalyst, the PUP campus publication, and progressive groups held a protest outside the office. They also launched a separate rally inside the PUP campus in Sta. Mesa.

“The Bongbong Marcos government has the gall to charge Jacob with sedition when they themselves are the primary traitors to the Filipino people,” The Catalyst editor-in-chief Maxene Marcelo said. She added that she was certain Baluyot would not be the Marcos regime’s last to persecute and harass.

“This is not the time to be paralyzed. Like Jacob and all those victimized by state fascism, we must act even more,” Marcelo continued.

Unrelenting state harassment

The investigation and case are the third in a series of charges Baluyot has faced since September 2025. He was earlier summoned by the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group for “investigation” over alleged leadership in protests. When he refused, he was summoned again for “indirect contempt.”

These moves are linked to the supposed leadership and involvement of youth leaders in anti-corruption protests, particularly during the September 21, 2025 demonstrations in Luneta Park and Mendiola, Manila. Baluyot and his fellow campus journalists were present in those protests to fulfill their duty as student journalists.

The Catalyst, AKM PUP, and the College Editors Guild of the Philippines have earlier stood firm against these cases. They declared that such charges threaten press freedom and the right to participate in peaceful assemblies.

Beyond Baluyot, PNP and the Marcos regime have also targeted UP-Diliman University Student Council Chairperson Joaquin Buenaflor, PUP Central Student Council President Tiffany Brillante, and Kalayaan Kontra Korapsyon organizer and DLS-CSB student Aldrin Kitsune.

According to Sandigan ng Mag-aaral para sa Sambayanan PUP, the harassment of Baluyot is a clear state attack on youth who resist and demand justice for corruption. “As long as all those involved in corruption—from Marcos Jr to Duterte—remain unpunished, the Iskolar ng Bayan will continue to act,” the alliance asserted.